The present application relates to exercise equipment, and more particularly, to a stand-on exercise apparatus for simulating boarding sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing.
Surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and other similar boarding activities are popular outdoor sports which generally require a user to stand on a top surface of the board body and use his legs, arms and abdominal core to maintain balance and turn the board in the desired direction. However, surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding are seasonal sports in most locations and generally cannot be performed during their respective off-seasons (i.e., winter for surfing and skateboarding, summer for snowboarding) without traveling to sites where the sports are in-season, increasing user cost. Also, surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and the like are typically not performed in inclement weather, further limiting the user's ability to exercise and train in their respective field.
To address this issue, indoor exercise apparatuses have been developed that attempt to simulate such boarding sports. Such conventional apparatuses typically include a flat or planar board having a dowel or similar roller attached to a bottom surface of the board. The user stands on the board and rocks back and forth by shifting his weight between the front foot and the back foot, exercising his arms, legs and abdominal core.
One problem with these conventional apparatuses is that they provide limited exercise by typically only enabling front to back movement. Such limited movement does not fully simulate the acts of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, which generally require the user to move the board not only from front to back, but also side-to-side and in some cases, in a rotational orientation. Accordingly, by not adequately simulating the actions of a surfboard, skateboard or snowboard, current exercise boards cannot sufficiently train the user to compete or participate in such sports. Another issue with conventional exercise boards is that because they typically include a dowel or roller device, they can generally only be used on hard or smooth surfaces, such as hardwood floors, cement, or the like.
Conventional exercise boards are also generally relatively heavy and therefore difficult to transport because they are manufactured from wood or other similar, laminate board materials. Further, because of these materials, current exercise boards are generally expensive to produce, increasing the final cost to the user. Also, although the dowel/roller used in current exercise boards is typically manufactured of a weather-resistant alloy or metal, because the boards themselves are manufactured from wood or laminate board, they can warp, breakdown or crack after continued use and exposure to sun, rain and other elements, requiring replacement.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved exercise apparatus that can be used year-round, that more completely simulates surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding, and is more cost effective and resilient than current exercise boards.